Indignant Promises
by The Lazy Artist
Summary: It's the Ferine Vs. the Humans. Creatures of enormous size and power have torn the world we knew apart. They've changed Earths geography, flat out sunk landmasses & somehow forced the continents to join together as a warped version of Pangaea. Forests overrun 70% of Earth's land and a deadly gas has replaced the Oxygen plants released in the atmosphere. SasuNaru & NejiGaara, etc.


**Chapter #1: Aokigahara - The Forest of Death**

**By: The Lazy Artist**

**Disclaimer: I own the plot - But the characters.. I do NOT own.**

**Warning: This WILL be YAOI. **

**Random Fact About The Author: She has never broken a Pinky-Promise.**

**Word Count: 4,106**

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**T**hey used to be hidden, secretive. No one could actually prove they existence during that time.

Over the centuries many have been marked as "tricksters", "trouble-makers" or "masters of seduction" These were the titles they put upon themselves, in order to come off as Myths or Legends in the minds of us humans. In reality they were not so harmless. Stories were created in order to discourage us from the very thought of perusing their species, in fear of being cursed or haunted. These creatures were rare and to those few that had laid eyes on them, and lived, had been written off as attention seekers, story tellers. A silent war was reining it's ugly head whenever a human set foot in one of their forests; a human set on exorcising the creatures. These creatures held the laws of nature, in turn making them the "Life of the Forests" all around the world.

They lived within the mountains, deep in the subterranean world, at least that's what we assumed. The world they inhabited could only be described as a "rift" or a "tear" in both space and time, all along the mountain ranges across the world. They have always been there. They watched how we lived without intentional interference. They waited and slowly learned about our way of life and eventually began to blend into our society in order to learn even more. It was a method of staying low at that point, but eventually became a necessity in order for them to survive.

The nations of our world grew anxious as the centuries were written into history. In the latest century, mankind had become aware of the climate changes across the planet. In an attempt to reverse possible damage caused by the multitude of factories and chemicals mass-produced by humans, the great forests that remained were to be preserved and rehabilitated. But as the years passed, scientists and scholars began to notice the changes of the forests, now left greatly untouched by mankind, as they grew denser, uncontrolled and wild. The long-veiled realm was merging, ever so slightly with our own, forcing "them" to live with "us" instead of merely continuing in their shadows. And there were now enormous beings within the greater forests, along with abundant, poisonous plant-life. The world as the humans knew it was reverting back to it's original state; untouched by man and machines alike.

The creatures were dangerous, but never truly mad. They always took great care in choosing who they killed: the weak, the old, the depraved. They tended to "hang" in the red-light districts of major cities in order to pick off their preferred targets. They always cleaned up after themselves but would often leave some sort of offering at the scene of their crime, be it a simple, small rock embellished with a smiley face, or a plain, beaded charm. Something defined, and quite out of place. In doing this, humankind eventually began to feel that these beings were quitely mocking them. They felt that these "beasts" were telling us they could do anything they want, and we couldn't do anything to stop them.

These creatures thought that they could elude us forever. '_It's only technology' _they told themselves,_ 'it will never effect us._' If only that were true. Mankind found a connection within their little offerings. They were promises, promises made to never hunt in that specific location again.

The beings living within the forests of the North American continent, began to communicate with the "leader of the free world", the elected President of the United States – knowing that the United States tended to position themselves into world-wide affairs. And weren't they now part of this world? This President, in particular, was widely known to be a man of peace and understanding. And, it was a realized fear, that the humans would at long last embark on an assault of their species, since the humans had grown weary of their trickeries.

The President spoke to the citizens of the world, about how the creatures had been around for thousands of years, and didn't wish to further disturb mankind. But this vow was made on certain conditions: the humans must altogether cease going into the forests. The humans must cease hunting their kind. The humans must stop trying to capture them, to no longer study them.

It was during this time, that I happened to be under the employ of a "special" organization. And I offered my service to this President in order to investigate these creatures true nature.

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The air was humid that morning, as if a storm had settled over the Mountain range supporting Mount Fuji, Japan; deep within the Aokigahara Forest, also known as the Sea of Trees along the northwest base of Mount Fuji. It was the beginning of autumn when I left the country once known as America. It hadn't been Fall for long, so the trees that covered the mountain range were vivid shades of red, orange and gold. It looked like the mountain itself was consumed by flame that licked every angle of the immortal landmass. Broken light from the sun was peaking through the trees when me and my team jumped over rotting logs and small streams as we hiked the Mountain path.

Vines crawled up the century old trees, fighting to reach the top. Despite their neon petals I barely glanced at them – for each brightly lit flower held a toxic fume that could kill a person without proper medical attention – a fact we learned after three of my group (originally 5 counting myself) keeled over at the base of the mountain; I ordered the last man to wait for me in the local inn. It probably wasn't the best idea in the world to go on this journey with a group of grunts – but they were assigned to; and very persistent. Despite the looming moss covered trees and the enormous creatures I would catch nearing my person – like that fifty foot centipede or that thirty foot earth worm that made quick work of the surrounding trees whilst I observed – the forest was rather peaceful – if not dangerously nerve wracking. This Sea of Trees, or as the locals like to call it "The Forest of Death"; was known for it's suicides; where hundreds of Japanese businessmen would wander into the depths of the forests and never return. Many spiritualists believed that the suicides permeated Aokigahara's trees, generating paranormal activity and preventing many who enter from escaping the forest's depths. Complicating matters further was the common experience of compasses being rendered useless by the rich deposits of magnetic iron in the area's volcanic soil.

Back in those days the workers within the forest had to carry the bodies down from this particular forest to the local station, where the bodies were put in a special room used specifically to house suicide corpses. The forest workers then played rock, paper, scissors—to see who had to sleep in the room with the corpse. It was believed that if the corpse was left alone, it was very bad luck for the _ghost_ of the suicide victims. Their spirits were said to scream through the night, and their bodies would move on their own. Many turned these tales towards the beasts within the forest, accusing a specific clan of Fox-like creatures of using their Fox-fire to lure weak-minded civilians into their land in order to feed form them.

At one point I had to shed the top layer of my uniform, annoyed with how stray branches would grab at it and found that my military-issued T-shirt didn't catch nearly as much on the gnarly branches. I remember being thankful that my boots were not only water-proof but also steel-tipped, otherwise I fear I would have broken more then one toe while crossing the web-work of streams going down the mountains. Due to the vastness of the forest, desperate visitors were unlikely to encounter anyone once inside the so-called "Forest of Death," so the police had mounted signs reading "Your life is a precious gift from your parents," or "Please consult the police before you decide to die!" on trees throughout the entirety of the ancient land. It was only thanks to my mother being Japanese that I had managed to read the kanji at all.

I roamed from the small tent erected in the center of a small clearing about half way up the mountain. I gazed up at one of the looming giants shading the landmass; thankful for the break in the trees in order to catch some sun. I thanked my beige-tinted cargo pants that the browning ferns couldn't brush against my bare legs when I trended on the crisp moss covered ground. Sweet, untainted air filled my lungs, making me wonder as to why the nations where so discouraged to have gigantic begins that have started to roam the forests of the world – though, of course I knew later that the entire thought seemed misplaced. The thick trunks of the ancient trees seemed to swallow up the sky in their multicolored foliage. Cracks of light would brush my face as I made my way further up the mountain, backpack slung over my shoulder and head tilted back with every intention of returning to that small green tent.

I felt the lump in my throat when I thought of the Humans hatred toward these mysterious creatures. I never had the opportunity to observe them as a child, only collect the things they would leave behind. It – of course – surprised me when the beads turned into cute smiley faces and then at one point a blue, crystal necklace. It was always horrifying to find a severed leg accidentally left behind, but once I joined the Force I found myself used to the gore they would unintentionally leave.

Lost in my thoughts, I failed to notice the sudden silence in the air when I entered a different clearing, home to an enormous, if not slightly slanted, stump. The stump itself was beautiful, with complex vines intertwined in the withering bark, neon flowers laced those vines with thick ever-green moss illuminating their blinding array of colors. I knew at once that those beautiful flowers could kill me if I got to close. My eyes, however, locked onto the creature sprawled out over the stump.

The creature itself was enormous – I later found out she was eight feet long from the top of her black nose to the end of it's nine ink tipped tails and stood at around six feet tall. She was sprawled out on her back, exposing a blindingly white belly surrounded by an orange I could only compare to fire. Nine tails were hanging off one end of the stump, while her shoulders and head off the other-side, facing me. Alongside it's nine tails and its mass I found myself noticing that it was obviously female (I said 'she', right?) and had a golden chain hanging from one black-tipped ear, at the end was a sapphire crystal; one similar to the one around my neck. Along with all of this, she appeared to be slightly translucent, like what I would assume a spirit would look like.

She seemed to embody the true meaning of freedom, laying there in a slumped - uncaring manner when small birds landed near and even on her, unafraid and trusting that the enormous, fox-like creature wouldn't swallow them. In that moment I had found myself incapable of drawing the much needed air into my lungs in a strange sense of realization that I was staring at a fabled Kyūbi no Kitsune. Two black tipped fox ears swerved my way before I could take another step _away_ from the enormous being.

I remember how my jaw clicked shut when two mauve spheres locked onto my own blue orbs. I'll always think back to the first thought that crossed my mind once I saw those open, slanted eyes.

_Fuck._

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I learned many things about this woman in the few months she kept me 'imprisoned' in that slowly fading rift. She was a rather cheerful creature, and flustered easily. I made the mistake of touching her crimson shaded fox ears, and for that nearly lost my head. That little 'adventure' gave me one too many close calls when her temper flared and I quickly found that it merely added to her charm.

She was charming in her own way, if not a bit hostile when we first met. Not only had she suddenly turned on me but she practically batted me around the clearing like a house-cat that managed to find itself a field mouse. After that little incident she remained in her human form: as a young adult with waist length crimson hair and cat-like (or in this case fox-like) violet eyes against fair skin. Two 8-inch fox ears overtook where a Human's lobes would be while her nine tails protruded from specially made robes she has had for over a hundred years.

I remember telling her about my little collection of her people's ornaments that they left behind after a hunt in my own country, which eventually lead her to reveal that there was a law that stated "Don't play with you're food. For long." - of which I informed her that for a law it was bullshit and accused her of merely being bored. She opposed my thoughts for quite some time, but eventually agreed: stating that life as one of the leaders of the dying species was disgustingly demanding. She later admitted, in a rather reluctant way, that their kind has never _eaten_ a human – but their "life energy", though she happily informed me that they rather enjoyed tearing the humans apart in the process.

After the first few weeks of staying in the rift I felt the worry start to gnaw at my mind. The world, without a doubt, would destroy this 'world' – for nothing more then the fear of change. The creatures of the rift were somewhat kind to me during my stay here. They taught me of their ways and insisted on the matter of figuring out a way to live peacefully with the humans. Personally, I'm pretty damn sure they were just too lazy to do anything about it, for at one point my Fox companion informed me that they could indeed feed off the hundreds of suicidal men within the local areas.

Meanwhile, the rifts continued to grow into the human world as rips in their space. Rips that couldn't be sealed; and slowly grew larger as the humans interfered. Around that time a terrorist ground brought in new technology, and behind the worlds back they not only merged the two planes but also began to slowly drive the creatures mad with the constant buzzing in their lands.

There was one family, the Uzumaki's, that held not only the power of nature, but also held the wind in their favor. Nature and wind, it seemed, made for a _very _powerful combination. Wind, their natural element, enabled the Uzumaki's to manipulate the weather to their liking. It became a deadly weapon in war, as lightning and storms did their bidding. This clan belonged to the Rift; and were known to the world as Foxes – be it the small canine-like creatures you can sometimes see in your back yard or the fabled Kitsune-Demons in Japan such as a Kyūbi no Kitsune; or in some cases the people would believe a messenger of Inari was making itself known.

My family, the Namikaze's, where known throughout the Human world as a peaceful, very large, family that valued life above all else. We were the best of the best in the U.S. Military, with our family ranging from Special Ops to world renowned Doctors. We were an American-Japanese mixed bunch that were once known as Yakuza in Japan many generations ago - though thankfully that title vanished once my great-great-grandmother passed.

Their abilities to defend themselves through their impenetrable barriers and long lasting seals became a necessity to protect them from anyone who wished them harm. These became both the Uzumakis' blessing and downfall. For the world government saw that particular clan as a major threat, and eventually sided with terrorists, making the government corrupt and untrustworthy. Once they learned of the Uzumaki clan weakness, they quickly exploited it by means of kidnapping Kushina's elder brother. Her brother was cynical and shrewd individual, along with a somewhat twisted sense of humor – though once you got over that, he was somewhat tolerable. He was not quite as powerful as his younger sister - but he was one that relished the feeling of blood soaking his fur.

When the time came, they were never searching for the roots of the rebellion within their own. They never dreamed that it would be one of their own that would tip the balance of control; but that didn't stop it from happening. It didn't stop the world from turning against these creatures – and that in turn most certainly didn't stop these majestic beings from turning the very Life of the world against the Humans.

They never thought that their promises would be controlled by Humans. They never expected their silky, multicolored coats to rot and turn in shaggy mounds of black. They're naturally light colored eyes darkened to a bloody red, claws lengthened and fangs screw saber; it was a Madness that effected every one of these different species of creatures throughout the world known as Demons. The humans never expected the mutation to change the air, effecting humans and animals alike in strange – often ugly ways. The majestic creatures did, however, find a sort of twisted mirth in the poisonous gases plants began to produce instead of oxygen.

A hundred years after his capture, and after loosing over 3/4 of their race to her elder brother (while he was being controlled), Kurama managed to not only find a loop-hole in his "Promise", but he began to grow mad alongside their brethren- and went against his younger sister, Kushina. They tore apart the continents with their war. Unlike most in the clan, Kurama was one of the few Uzumaki's that held Fire and Wind instead of Nature and Wind, which aided in the making of every natural disaster known to man happen in a span of six months – effectively destroying the Earth we knew. During that war; creatures all over the world had help from the few remaining Uzumaki clan; and all were hidden in a barrier the size of the previously sunk Hawaiian Islands in different locations around the world.

Tectonic plates shifted at an unnatural rate; causing Tsunami's and Earthquakes to sink any country alongside the seas. The continents began to come together as the amount of Natures energy secreting from Japan increased, making the continents collide and create new mountain ranges and circle around Japan. The sea flooded the main-lands, taking them to the bottom of the sea as it rose well over it's normal sea-level. Cyclones and Tornadoes alongside Hurricanes uprooted the world, causing the poisonous gas to spread much faster then it had before. With all this, volcanoes erupted - leveling surrounding areas with it's molten hot lava, filling the air with it's ash and fusing the continent together. The geography of the world shifted within six months time - demolishing everything we once knew.

We became bound right before the war grew out of control, a ceremony that made me freeze at the physical age of twenty-six – and for many centuries we managed to stave off the Humans we were at constant war with. I say 'we' because with our Bond I gained the power to control wind alongside my companion; while she lost her ability to produce litters of kits; making it so she could only have one kit at a time - a price she had to pay to Bond with one not of her own.

The gas did it's part, making a majority of the Human species die because they were unable to adapt. Over 85% died within the first two hundred years, for the gases created an incurable cancer. It's strange thinking back to when I was a kid. My friends would always be weary when eating water melons; saying the "Seeds would grow in your body and spring out of you're nose while you sleep! Don't eat them!" and I never believed them.

During the first two hundred years, those spores would literally take root within the Human body as a cancer, and grow in any direction it chose.

Three centuries after our first encounter was when we first went into hiding when she found out that she was with child. We knew it was a dangerous time to have a Kit; and turned to the Elders before being thrown back into a war we knew we would never come out of. (Un)fortunately humans learned that they needed to live beneath the Earth's surface three hundred years into the "End of the World"; making it much harder to track them down then originally planned.

Kushina grew aggressive as the days went by.

It didn't go unnoticed by the Elders.

Within one of her rages she fled to the side of Mount Fuji whilst fighting Kurama. She managed to hold him there on the mountain and seal herself as well as her elder brother (with the help of the Elders) to the Mountain as Chakra infused statues looming over the Forests surrounding Mount Fuji.

When the 'Madness' became (officially) airborne, Humans began to mutate and gain enhancements. Only few gained both the Beauty of the enhancements as well as the Power; which in turn created a sense of Royalty. The spores helped to create what Humans used to call "Magic" - which turned to "Chakra" as the world fell apart and Japanese became the main language. Empires rose up; five of them; and Japan was the very center of it all (The Heart) – meaning that with the protective barrier produced by the Elders of the Uzumaki clan most of Japan managed to survive the change. Most of Japan's Population managed to survive within that barrier alongside the other 13% of the Human population scattered in different regions of the world.

**_In the end, when our time came to fall, we sure as hell fell in style._**

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** BOOM the world ENDED OAO!**

**Timeline:**

**(Beginning of the Story takes place) 2141: The "Demons" went to the President of the United States - uhhh.. Ben Dover. & Minato met Kushina. (Spores KILLED)**

**(Three years later) 2144: Minato & Kushina were bound when he was 26 & Kushina's super old but young... (Spores still KILLED)**

**( Six years later) 2147: Humans used gas masks to survive to spores - not everyone could afford them. (Spores KILLED & MUTATED)**

**(Ten years later) 2151: Kurama was "captured". (Spores STILL KILLED & MUTATED)**

_During this 100 years Kurama killed over 3/4 of his own population._

**(110 years later) 2251: Kurama broke from his 'promise' & attacked Kushina. (Oh guess what? SPORES STILL KILLED AND MUTATED)**

_Sometime in-between here animals & people started to mutate into actual creatures instead of blobs of bark._

_ 85% of Humans Population died via gaseous spores; other 15% grew enhancements._

_ Sometime during all this death Kushina & Minato got frisky._

**(300 years later) 2441: Humans figured out that they could live under ground *Claps* & Kushina became pregnant. (Spore still KILLED HUMANS).**

**(300 years + 6 months later) 2441.5: Kushina (with the help of the elders) sealed herself -with her child six months old still in her womb- alongside her elder brother, Kurama. (Spores killed those idiotic enough to travel to the surface)**

**(341 years later) 2483: The Elders died in the sealing, Kushina n' Kurama are sealed & so Humans _BLANK_BLANK_BLANK_ (talked about in next chapter :3)**

**(571 years later) 2713: Where the story actually takes place, almost six centuries later.**


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